Micro Four Thirds

Olympus is giving its pleasingly retro E-M10 a revamp, with the Mark III promising to make the Micro Four Thirds camera even easier to use. Envisioned as a straightforward upgrade path for smartphone photographers wanting to take a big step up in the images they're capturing, the E-M10 Mark II nonetheless still had its foibles. Now, Olympus says, it has taken the user feedback onboard and addressed it with the Mark III - not to mention adding features like 4K video capture.

Olympus has added a new, retro micro four thirds camera to its lineup, with the PEN E-PL8 adding a selfie-friendly option alongside the PEN-F. Announced at Photokina 2016 today, the E-PL8 is the successor to 2014's PEN E-PL7, complete with a 180-degree flip-down LCD display and an easier to hold grip.

The Olympus PEN-F is retro done right: not just classic looks for the sake of tickling your reminiscence glands, but for delivering the best aspects of old gear. Launched back in January, the micro-four-thirds camera introduces several "firsts" to the PEN line-up, fittingly given it's also styled after Olympus' first PEN rangefinder from eighty years ago. Camera technology may have moved on hugely since the original PEN, but the key lessons are just as relevant today.

You’d be forgiven if, after taking a quick glance at Olympus' new Air A01 doohickey, you dismissed it as a lens of some sort. In fact it’s more, much more. Think of the Air A01 as a Micro Four Thirds or Micro 4/3 camera minus the lens and display: ultra portable, allowing you to place or mount it anywhere your creativity takes you, and paired up wirelessly with an iOS or Android device. While add-on cameras are something we’ve already seen from Sony, Kodak, and others, Olympus’ decision to go for interchangeable lenses sets the Air A01 apart; read on for my first impressions.

Panasonic's Lumix GX7 is the latest in a long line of interchangeable lens cameras, raising the game with features you might normally associate with full-sized DSLRs like an adjustable viewfinder. Announced last month, the GX7 takes Panasonic's camera design back to a more retro place, looking particularly good in the two-tone finish we spotted at IFA 2013 today. Beauty is more than skin-deep, however.

Kodak may be in deep trouble financially, but it seems they're trying to get their pennies in order and their balance back. Today, we're seeing leaked photos of an upcoming Micro Four Thirds camera from the company that aims to put Kodak back into the photography spotlight. No official name has been determined for this new snapper, but it seems it'll be called the S1.

Clad with the aesthetics of a 50-year-old film camera, the Olympus PEN E-P5 is being launched by the manufacturer for the anniversary of the original, here in 2013 filled instead with digital features throughout. This camera is what Olympus notes is the first Compact System Camera to work with a mechanical shutter capable of a speed of 1/8000th of a second. Clad with a 16-Megapixel TruePic VI Live MOS sensor as well as a 5-Axis Image Stabilization mechanism inside, the introduction of this camera by Olympus appears to be aimed both lovers of retro style and those looking for the company's furthest pushes forward in imaging technology alike.

Sigma has unveiled a handful of new lenses that will join the company's current lineup of Art lenses, which are designed to be high-quality alternatives of the competition, like Canon and Nikon lenses, but with a slightly lower cost than you would normally see with these companies. The four new lenses that Sigma announce are a 30mm f/1.4 DC HSM, 60mm f/2.8 DN, 30mm f/2.8 DN, and a 19mm f/2.8 DN.

Earlier this month during CES 2013, word surfaced that a company called JK Imaging had licensed the Kodak name for a line of digital cameras. The company has already plastered that Kodak brand name on its digital photography offerings and has unveiled the first digital camera in its new line of Kodak products reports eprice and Weibo. The camera is called the S1.

Olympus is working on a hybrid Four Thirds/Micro Four Thirds camera for release late next year, which will support both types of lenses and offer the feel of a regular DSLR. Olympus Spain chief exec Miquel Àngel Garcia confirmed the roadmap to Spanish site Quesabesde, refusing to give specific details about the new interchangeable lens camera, but suggesting that it would be for "those who want the feel of an SLR and at the same time take advantage of a small system."

Today, Olympus officially announced the M.Zuiko Digital 17mm f/1.8 lens. The new lens is designed for street photographers, and is a fast and moderate 17mm wide-angle lens for the Micro Four Thirds system that features a maximum aperture of f/1.8, as well as depth-of-field and distance indicators. The aperture and focal length make it a great option for street, landscape, or low-light photography.

Panasonic has stolen its own thunder with the LUMIX GH3 micro four thirds camera, pre-announce posting a video of the new model and spilling its 16-megapixel sensor and 72Mbps video recording. The GH3 inclues a new Venus image processing engine and is clad in a magnesium alloy casing that, Panasonic says, is dust- and splash-proof.